Actions Unknown
by lost-katana
Summary: Takes place when turtles are ten, then twelve. When you're young, you tend to do things you're not supposed too. You might think you've gotten away with it, but you never know whose watching...
1. Age Ten

For those who are sending several lines of curse words in my direction, do not worry, I shall update Suicide and dead of Night soon. I promise.

I just need a break. I've been writing on the same two stories for about five months now, with a few shorter stories in between. But that's just it; they're too short! So, I've come up with this story. It won't be as long as my other two, but definitely not as short as the other three. I'd say we're lookin' at about eight chapters here, my friends!

Okay, so you know, this is actually a branch off of Dead of Night. More like a twig really. For the people who've read the story, you may remember a part earlier into it (Chapter 5, I think) where Leo mentioned running away twice. This is that story.

So, who wants to read?

By the way, the guys are ten years old… for now. They'll get a couple years older in later chapters.

Disclaimer: I _do_ own the TMNT! Wait, do TMNT _merchandise_ count? No? Ah, bummer. Never mind.

&&&&&

"Raphael! Leonardo! That is enough!"

The old rat came between the two young turtles. It never ceased to amaze him how his older sons could always turn even the simplest things into serious arguments and competitions, even at the tender age of ten.

Granted, he could see how a sparring session could become a competition between children, but this was ridiculous.

When sparring became more like street fighting, and when street fighting quickly turned into wrestling, Master Splinter knew it was time to stop.

After physically separating them, the red-clad turtle still trying once more to hit his brother, he gave each a stern look.

"Now what is the meaning of this? My sons, you have been fighting like this for several days now."

Leonardo put a hand over his bruised shoulder at these words. There were many more that decorated his, as well as his younger brother's body. Yesterday, their earliest fight had involved one of the thicker parts of a brick wall.

"You are lucky you've only sustained bruises, Leonardo." Splinter said, turning his head slightly to face him. "Next time it could be much worse."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other turtle grin.

"That goes for you, as well, Raphael."

The grin disappeared and was replaced by a frown.

Splinter looked at each one of his sons before speaking again. "Now, will one of you please tell me what is troubling the both of you?"

Neither one met his gaze, Raphael out of rebellion and Leonardo out of shame. They were both so stubborn.

Master Splinter's pointy rat ears flicked up the tiniest bit. "Donatello; Michaelangelo. Do you have anything to say on this matter?"

Two little green heads slowly popped into view from around the corner of the dojo, one band in purple, the other in orange. He'd told his younger sons to go to bed a few minutes earlier, after they'd successfully completed _their _sparring session. Apparently they hadn't listened.

Big surprise.

The two boys shook their heads. They knew nothing either. After a pause of silence, Splinter sighed. "Very well. All four of you, to bed." He said, gesturing down the hall.

They walked away, Michaelangelo and Donatello, having been closer to their rooms, in the lead. Splinter kept an eye on the other two, who were quickly gaining on their brothers. He didn't want their fight to continue.

The four of them made it to their rooms at the same time, coincidentally. He heard four doors shut, two distinguishably louder, then waited for the lights to go off.

When they did, he let out a long breath and silently made his way to his own room.

&&&&&

Raph made sure to slam his door extra hard before turning off the lights and climbing up into his hammock. He'd recently decided he didn't like mattresses all too well. Hammocks weren't bound by the laws of gravity.

At least, that's what he thought. Donny had tried numerous times to explain to him that _everything_ on earth was bound by the laws of gravity. Raph had started tuning him out after a while.

The hammock swayed slightly back and forth as he climbed into it. Very gently it rocked, making Raph realize just how tired he was. He and Leo had had a long day of kicking the crap out of each other.

Drowsy or not, the ten-year-old refused to go to sleep. He was too mad at his elder brother.

In all truth, he couldn't remember what had started him and Leo's continuing brawl. But every time they fought, both treated it as mortal combat. Whatever it had been must have been pretty important.

Turning on his side carefully, the hammock rocked again and Raph closed his eyes slowly.

_It'd be nice…_ he thought _…if Leo just disappeared for a while._

Upon falling asleep, almost instantaneously, Raph started to dream. It followed the plot set up by his last conscious thought.

It wasn't until around one o'clock in the morning, after waking up an hour earlier (only to fall asleep again later on that night) that he realized he hadn't liked the dream so much.

&&&&&

A light tap on his shoulder registered in his brain, creating a signal that told him to wake up. Opening his eyes to semi-darkness, Donatello was able to see one of his brothers before him. The orange bandanna tied around his head identified him as his little brother, Mikey.

Donny rubbed his eyed groggily. "What's going on, Mikey?"

His brother looked embarrassed, turning his gaze to the floor. "I can't sleep."

In other words: he'd had a nightmare. Despite his age, Mike still preferred the advantages youth brought, sharing a room with a sibling after being scared in particular.

Mikey had brought along his own pillow and blanket, like he always did. And like he always did when this happened, Don tucked his legs in closer to his body, making room for his little brother on the end of the bed.

He saw Mikey grin before leaping onto the mattress, trying to make himself comfortable. After a couple minutes of silence, Donny had hoped he'd gone to sleep, but a little voice rang out, disproving that theory.

"Hey, Donny?"

He groaned under his breath. "What?"

There was silence for a moment as Michaelangelo tried to gather his words. "How come Leo and Raph hate each other?"

Don opened his eyes. This wasn't one of Mikey's usual midnight questions. He sat up a bit in bed, immediately noticing the two watery eyes looking back at him.

"They don't hate each other, Mikey."

"Yes they do."

"Nuh-uh."

"Then why are they always fighting?"

The purple-clad turtle opened his mouth, only to shut it again. He didn't really know the answer to that. There were several, actually.

What his two older brothers never realized was that their fighting had a direct impact on them, too. The four of them were very close, since they knew no one else, with the exception of Master splinter.

Unable to provide an answer, Donny got up and walked to Mikey's room, coming back quickly so as not to worry him. His brother still had a slight fear of the dark. Sitting down on his bed, he laid the retrieved object before him.

"Who made you this?" He asked, holding up the nightlight. It had been made with colored glass.

Mikey sniffed and took it into his hands, fingering the colored glass gingerly. "Leo and Raph."

Donny nodded. Their older brothers had spent weeks fitting and gluing the broken pieces of glass they'd found together after Mikey's original nightlight broke. In the middle, four pieces of glass connected to make the letter 'M'. The only time they'd asked for help was when it came down to making the thing work.

Taking the nightlight from him, Don plugged it into the wall. It filled the room with colors of dark yellows and oranges, as well as some light blues. He watched Mikey smile as the darkness vanished.

"If they could spend that much time together making that for you, then they don't hate each other."

Mike seemed satisfied with the answer. Donny did too. After a brief goodnight, the two were lying in bed, fast asleep.

&&&&&

"Release." Leo tested the word silently on his tongue. He'd been saying it to himself once every night for the past several months. It'd never sounded as good as it did now.

Things were getting too heavy. He couldn't talk to anyone. Even though he'd told himself several times that things would be different, Leo couldn't shake off the idea that they wouldn't understand.

There were so many times when he's tried to say something, but it always seemed that nobody was really listening. They were too busy discovering new aspects of themselves, new things and hobbies to look upon with favor. _He_ needed time to do that. But there was never any time.

Leonardo's eyes fell upon the left corner of the room. A small, but wide nightstand sat there, hiding the thing that could very well give him all the time he wanted.

"Release." He said softly once more.

The blue-banded turtle walked over to the nightstand and quietly moved it, revealing a small hole, only large enough to allow passage for someone as small as him. And that path led out to the sewers, a couple feet beside the entrance to their home.

Before he knew it, Leo was gathering a few things together: a blanket, his swords, and a flashlight. After a minute, he decided that he'd need food. Master Splinter would hear him if he entered the kitchen.

_Fine. Forget the food._ He was planning on coming back anyway. Just a little while on his own. He smiled. It would actually work out perfectly. Often, after Splinter caught them in the middle of their skirmishes like this between him and Raph, the two would stay in their rooms for two or three days, sulking.

Splinter had long learned that it was better to leave them alone for that time. He'd slip meals under the door for them so they wouldn't starve, but that was as much contact as they'd get for that time. Before the third day was over, however, he was sure to come in.

Leo often wondered if his sensei checked on them while they were unaware of it. If so, that'd be a problem. Staring at his bed, Leo quickly took two pillows and stuck them under the bedcovers, forming them to look just enough like a small body. There was a large chance that this wouldn't work, but Leo decided that if he got caught, he'd suffer through the consequences.

Breathlessly, he turned to the hole in the ground. A though occurred to him. Why was he really going right now? He laughed, having already known the answer. _Raph. Why do I have such a big problem with him?_

He looked over his bruises. They fought a _lot_. Leo silently wondered why. Another thought occurred to him. Why was he willing to leave _all_ of his family, even though it'd only be for a few days, just because he was mad at _one_ brother?

There was a small thud as the flashlight hit the ground with the blanket. Leo made himself dismiss the thought. He'd finally convinced himself to do something completely against his nature. Or rather, what others _believed_ to be his nature. He couldn't let this slip out of his hands.

_Three days, that's all. _Jumping down the short distance of five feet to the earth, he picked up his stuff and made his way out of the lair, within the very core of its being.

&&&&&

It hadn't taken long for him to get out of the passage. It only went one way. The hard part came when he decided that he wanted to go in a direction that his family would be most unlikely to follow. That involved going in front of the entrance of their home.

That too hadn't been so hard. But it did succeed in making him nervous. Leo waited several minutes before moving, stretching every one of his senses, looking for a sign to move or not. Then, he finally poked his head out to actually check. Still, he waited. When Leo finally moved, he swore he felt someone watching. But when he checked, he was met with only darkness.

He traveled the tunnels of the sewers for a long time, trying to get as far away as he could. When Leo finally chose to journey upwards, finally lifting a manhole cover, he discovered he'd come to the docks.

It was late October, so the air was starting to chill. Leo almost kicked himself. This was why he didn't like impulsive decisions. He needed to think things through. Even if it wasn't freezing, turtles didn't do so well in cold weather.

The manhole cover was only raised slightly, so no one noticed. He had to wait before fully lifting it, though. A young man and woman chose to stroll by at that minute and begin their make-out session. Still quite young, Leo found it _very_ disgusting.

Once they were gone, the ten-year-old checked around before climbing out of the sewers. Unfortunately for him, that was when _another_ group of people came his way.

Leo quickly jumped over the dock, barely able to grab onto its wooden supports. After they too had left, he stayed put. His position was making the blood rush to his head, but he didn't mind that much. He was met with a wonderful picture; the most beautiful he'd ever witnessed, even if he was upside-down.

It was a full moon tonight. The giant luminescence in the sky was surrounded by a handful of bright stars, deplorably dimmed by the lights the city of New York produced. Bu they were still beautiful.

Among these were gray clouds, slender but by no means wispy. In fact, they were rather thick in their width. They were graceful in shape, moving like a wave of the sea, but abruptly cutting off, their edges flipping out into the dark oblivion of the night sky and occasionally over the moon. It was as if God had taken a calligraphy pen and wrote words only he could see and understand, allowing the earth to see glorious segments of His masterpiece.

And to make it even more magnificent, the scene was clearly reflected in the water, oddly still tonight, doubling the image.

Leo watched it a little while longer, taking in every bit of its beauty. He hadn't realized how long he'd been upside-down until he started to grow dizzy. Sighing, he righted himself, climbing up the poles that supported the dock.

Making sure there was no one around again, Leo swiftly got up onto land, grabbing his stuff, which he'd left up there, and made his was into an alley. There was a fire escape connected to one building, a restaurant. He climbed it and made his way to the roof.

Luck was with him today, he decided. The roof looked very much abandoned. There were burns against the cement; apparently there's been a fire at one point. Leo walked around the roof a few times before deciding to make a temporary home in a shadowed area in the back.

Resting his head on the cool concrete of the building, Leo wrapped his blanket around his shivering body, greeting its warmth with open arms. Closing his eyes, he thought once more of the serene picture of the night-sky he'd just seen.

_Donny would've liked it. _Leo thought suddenly. He frowned. _They all would've. _He felt guilty. Release from the mental torture he'd put himself through wasn't worth abandoning his family. What if something happened to them? Things went wrong every day around the world. If they died and he lived, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

_It's only a few days. What can happen in a few days? _Before his mind made a long list of the possibilities, Leo buried his head halfway under the blankets, his chin touching his plastron, and willed such thoughts away. He wanted freedom, but he just wished he knew if they were okay.

Almost instantly, he felt them. His brothers' presences were warm, steady. There was some hurt embedded in them as well. Leo briefly wondered if they knew he was gone, but dismissed the thought. It was more likely that Mikey and Donny were upset over Raph and his fighting. He had no idea what Raph might be upset over, but he was sure it wasn't over his safety.

His eyes fixed on a single star shining as brightly as it possibly could overheard, the only such one visible after the extreme light the city provided, he let the presence of each one of his brothers fill him.

Here, he found release. He wasn't yet sure if it'd be what he wanted, he'd find out soon enough. As long as he didn't worry about his brothers, instead just allowing their spirits to speak in that silent way to him, he'd always know where they were.

He could be alone and at liberty, and he wouldn't have to worry. He wouldn't have to fight with Raph or deal with Mikey or talk Donny into practicing.

It all sounded good. But Leo knew he'd want things to go back to normal eventually. He'd never been able to ignore his anxieties for very long.

&&&&&

Well, what'd ya think? How was it for a first chapter? I'd like to write another story soon. Another dark tale. Those ones seem to grab you reader's attention better.

Oh, if anybody's wondering what exactly Raph and Leo were fighting about, I plan to reveal it in the third or fourth chapter, so no worries.

Anyways, I hoped you like! Don't know how soon I'll be able to update, Internet access is being dragged beyond my reach again. But don't think that'll keep me away from you guys for long! I expect a bazillion updates when I get back!

Please review!


	2. Day 1

(runs around like crazy) Yikes! I have so much to catch up on! This hasn't been updated for nearly two months! So sorry! At least it wasn't four, like two of my other stories.

Well, I suppose I should just get to it now, shouldn't I?

Disclaimer: The TMNT were never mine, okay? This story is just a product of obsessive-compulsive behavior and insomnia! But it's funs to read, so I don't think anybody minds.

&&&&&

Day 1 

The sun was rising in the sky, sending fingers of orange and pink tearing through the darkness, but it was still pretty cold. Leo awoke with teeth chattering in the fetal position, his blanket wrapped tightly around his body. He suddenly felt _really _stupid for doing this.

_You're going to freeze to death before you even get the chance to be on your own for a day. Way to go._

Picking himself up, the young turtle stretched, his muscles aching. Slowly, he crawled over to the side of the building. On the street below, there were a handful of cars and taxicabs making their way to work or other places where they needed to be. A coffee shop was just opening for business. A few people walked in, ready to get a quick drink to perk them up for work, some even treating themselves to a donut, perhaps.

The thought of food made Leo realize that he was hungry. He hadn't eaten anything last night; he and Raph had been too busy fighting to even take a bite of a sandwich.

Getting food was going to be hard. He couldn't simply walk into that coffee shop. If Leo had been listening at all to Splinter's lectures, and he had, he knew that humans wouldn't think too highly of a ten-year-old walking, talking giant turtle. He'd have to look for food like some of the other people of New York did, in alleyways and dumpsters. It couldn't be any harder than looking for it in the sewers, as he'd occasionally done with his sensei.

Making sure nobody was watching him; Leo slowly climbed down the fire escape that had brought him to this roof last night, gracefully landing on his feet in the shadowed alley.

He wondered what he might find for breakfast.

&&&&&

As usual, Master Splinter was up before any of his sons; two of whom he was positive wouldn't be joining him for breakfast. Such a meal today would consist of toast and bacon, which he'd amazingly been able to get.

The old rat made breakfast for five, as he always did, even when his sons were upset. Their anger had yet to stop them from eating at least once a day, even if it was alone in their rooms.

By the time the meal was prepared, Michaelangelo and Donatello were up and at the table. They didn't look as happy as they usually were. His youngest son, if only, was a morning person… and a night person, typically cheerful throughout the day.

Splinter knew what was bothering them. They too knew the routine of these types of situations. For the next few days, they would most likely only have each other for company. The two got along well, but things could get quite boring after awhile with only one playmate.

After a few exchanges of brief hellos, the three of them ate their breakfast in silence. Master Splinter looked sadly at the other two plates, cold and untouched. He rose, picking them up in his hands, and went to take them to Leonardo and Raphael's rooms.

But before he could even take a step out of the kitchen, Michaelangelo suddenly popped up in front of him. "I'll take their plates, Sensei!"

Splinter paused, confused, before trying to go around him. Something did not feel right… "That is not necessary, Michaelangelo. I shall-"

But the little turtle wouldn't allow him to go past him. "_Please_, Master Splinter? I'm big; I can do it!"

"Well…" He was initially going to tell him no, but then the orange-clad turtle looked up at him with that innocent face that he had mastered so well. And that was that. Splinter was an accomplished ninja, having fought against several well-trained warriors and won, but of all things, it was nearly impossible to deny the pleas of his sons when they wore that expression. "I suppose you could."

Michaelangelo grinned, said thank-you, took the plates, and headed for his brothers' rooms.

&&&&&

_Okay, this turned out to be harder than I thought._ After passing several buildings, being careful to remember which ones so he could find his way back, Leo had yet to find something decent to eat, with the exception of a slice of an apple. That wasn't very filling though. Most of the food was molding or being consumed by flies.

_This is ridiculous. If Master Splinter can find food in the sewers, I should definitely be able to find some up here. _He eyed a half-eaten sandwich that was partially sitting in a puddle of water. _Maybe I shouldn't be so picky…_

He ate the part that wasn't soggy. It wasn't that good, and it didn't help his hunger.

From where the sun was in the sky, Leo could tell it was nearing noon. He'd been looking for food for awhile now and was beginning to wonder if he should stop and rest when he turned a corner and entered a different alleyway. This one sheltered a large group of homeless people, at least twenty. All sorts of dirty blankets covered sleeping bodies, some lucky enough to have a box over their heads.

Quickly, Leonardo turned back, preventing anyone from seeing a young turtle walking towards him or her. There was a bit of trash a couple feet away with tons of clothes. Rummaging through it again, Leo did not find any food, much to his disappointment, but did find a brown baseball cap and a men's jacket, long enough to cover his feet but not trip him.

With this disguise, the blue-banded turtle turned back, cautiously walking through the alley, his arms crossed over each other. As Leo walked, he noticed some people had stolen shopping carts that they would fill with items. One or two of them had what seemed to be good food in them.

It was their owners who were rotten. Seeing him eyeing the morsels, one glared at him and pushed the cart out of sight. The other stood in front of hers and actually _hissed_ at him, baring her yellow teeth in the process.

Leo walked faster.

Not all of these people were bad though. Most of them had hollow, sad-looking eyes. Some watched him walk by with slight sympathy. But no matter, he preferred his rooftop better.

After making his way past the group, he made it to the end of the alley. And there, sitting on the ground, still mostly wrapped, was the remnants of a chocolate bar, still intact. Leo took the item up quickly, grateful to have finally found something that looked edible.

He took a bite, enjoying the rich taste it left on his tongue. That was, until he felt a hard tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw the man with the shopping cart he'd seen earlier. He had gnarled, brown hair and cold, green eyes.

"That's mine." The man said. Leo looked at the candy bar sadly. The man took a threatening step forward. "Hand it over." Before the turtle could say no, he took a switchblade from his pocket and placed it against the collar of his jacket, putting pressure on his neck. "Now."

Slowly, Leo did as he was told. The candy bar placed in the man's hands, he lowered the knife. He turned his head, as if walking away, then faced him again. "No, all of it."

Leo's eyes widened. _You gotta be kidding-_

Apparently he wasn't. The guy grabbed his chin, either not noticing the strange coloring or not caring. "Open up."

Once again, he obeyed. Leo opened his mouth, where some of the chocolate still rested.

"Spit it out."

Never breaking eye contact, Leo used his teeth to get the candy out of his mouth, dropping it into the hand the man had outstretched under his mouth.

That done, the man let loose his grip on Leo's jaw and took a step back. Then he stuck his fist into the ten-year-old turtle's stomach. Leo fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.

Without saying a word, the man walked away.

&&&&&

Nothing was on TV. That was partially because, being bored, Donny had decided to take it apart and put it back together again. He was good at that kind of stuff. The television was almost fixed again.

But Mikey wasn't. He had nothing to do. It was only five in the afternoon, though. He'd run out of stuff to do four hours ago. The youngest turtle was tired of board games and coloring books. To make matters worse, they were out of batteries; no GameGuy; no CD player.

Donny was fun, but they could only keep each other entertained for so long before growing tired of each other's games and antics.

He wanted to play with Raph and Leo. Even if they'd be fighting most of the time, they usually had time to play with him for an hour a day. That was better than sitting around the lair with nothing to do.

But unfortunately, Mikey knew it'd be some time before he'd be able to play with them again.

&&&&&

Donny looked up from his work for a second to see his little brother bored on the couch. He'd find something play with him once he was done. It wouldn't be good for Splinter to come home to see the television in pieces on the floor with wires strewn in all directions.

Even worse would be if _he_ tried to put it together instead of letting Donatello finish. Master Splinter was as bad with electronics as Leo tended to be in the kitchen.

Thinking of his elder brother made the purple-clad turtle's heart ache. He wished Raph and Leo would just get over their problems and come out. He missed them. When any of his brothers were missing, things weren't much fun.

He wondered how long it'd be before he'd see them again. Another day? Two?

Quickly, Don turned his sad thoughts into productive thoughts. Placing a blue wire in on spot and a yellow one in another; a screwdriver here and another there.

&&&&&

Cursing softly to himself as the ball hit the wall but failed to come back to him, Raph leapt out of his hammock to get it. Through the door, he could hear soft cheers and greeting from his two younger brothers, signifying that Splinter was home with whatever he'd found today.

He hadn't heard a thing from Leo. Not a word, no training, nor a sound of feet hitting the floor. There wasn't even the sound of a bedspring creaking with shifting weight. It was strange. Leo wasn't a noisy person by any means, but he wasn't as silent as the dead either.

Raph vaguely wondered if he was okay, but redirected his thoughts to throwing the small bouncy ball against the wall again, catching it this time.

He didn't hate his brother. Again, Raph found himself thinking of the dream he'd had the night before. Walking around the lair, with everybody there.

Everyone but Leo.

Splinter had looked so tired in the dream and Mikey had seemed really sad. Donny was lonely and Raph was exhausted, for reasons he didn't know.

But the young, temperamental turtle reminded himself that it was just a dream. Leo was in the room right across the hall and everything was okay. The two of them would come out in a few days calmed down, would be forced to apologize, and then everything would be okay again.

Climbing back up into his hammock, Raph threw the ball again, catching it once more.

Then, of course, his dinner had to be slipped right under his door at that moment. Raph cursed again, being called from his comfortable hammock once more. But the smell of pizza quickly smoothed over all anger.

He was hungry.

&&&&&

He was hungry. More ravenous then he'd ever felt before.

Back on top of his temporary residence, Leo let his body rest on the cool concrete, even though he too was cold. His feet hurt, but his stomach hurt more. The place where he'd been punched ached while inside, it reminded him that he'd spent the entire day doing nothing but looking for food.

First day: wasted.

Clutching the only thing he'd been able to find the rest of the day, a stale bag of chips. He ate them slowly, but it seemed like they were gone before he knew it. They weren't bad and were certainly better than the sandwich he'd eaten earlier today that had given him an intense stomachache.

A cold wind started up so Leo grabbed his blanket, which he'd pinned down with rocks, and wrapped it around him.

That was when the door that led to the trashy restaurant below him opened. A young man, probably mid-twenties, with blond hair stepped onto the roof and looked out over the city, lighting a cigarette. He was dressed in a waiter's uniform.

Slowly, the wind carried the smoke back to where Leo sat. He tried to hold his breath, but the smoke got in anyway, making him cough.

The waiter turned sharply, scanning the rooftop. He saw nothing, however, for Leo was hidden under his blanket in the dark. Or, at least, that was what Leo hoped. He counted the seconds, breathing softly, fearing that in any second, he'd be found and taken to some laboratory like the ones Mikey saw on cheesy science fiction/horror movies.

After about five minutes, he heard a grunt and a door closed. Nervously, Leo poked his head out from under the blankets, scanning the rooftop for the man. Nothing. He was gone.

Leo let out a sigh of relief. He was safe. But the danger had made itself evident. Perhaps this wasn't a good place to stay. Sure, he still had the cap and jacket, but someone could come closer and get a better look if they wanted.

A yawn escaped the young turtle's mouth. Besides still being hungry, he was _very_ tired. _Tomorrow._ He promised himself. _Tomorrow, I'll find somewhere else to stay._

He placed his head down, looking up at the stars for a moment. He didn't get to see them everyday. Leo was beginning to think that they were the only good thing he'd seen during his little adventure. He'd be better off with his brothers.

Again, guilt swept through him. But it didn't last long.

Exhausted, he was asleep before he could make himself feel any worse than he already was.

&&&&&

Not too bad, I hope!

Well, I better go now. I'm suppose to present a speech tomorrow (which is now today) and I haven't practiced! Hopefully, I'll be ready by the time I update (which I have if you're reading this). Wish me luck!

I made this chapter as long as I could, so I hope you enjoyed!

Please review!


	3. Day 2

I keep feeling I have so much to do before I put up another story! Therefore, I've decided that this story too needs an update before Suicide II is revealed.

No one minds, right?

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter!

Disclaimer: It'd take a _lot_ of luck to convince _anybody_ that I'm the owner of the TMNT, so you already know that I don't, huh?

&&&&&

**Day 2**

The sun had not yet risen; that was the first thing Leonardo noticed as he opened his eyes. The sky, however, was not as dark as it had been so he figured it was nearing daybreak.

But his inner alarm clock wasn't his reason for waking up. Perhaps his imagination was playing tricks on him, but Leo could've sworn he'd just heard something, muck like the hollow sound of two objects lightly coming in contact.

Wary, the young turtle turned over on his side. The sight of the blond waiter from the night before crouched down only a few feet before him nearly sent him out of his shell. He was sure the man would notice his green skin in an instant but then remembered he was still concealed in the hat and jacket he'd found last night. But still, he was cautious.

The waiter, seeing Leo's uneasiness, just smiled. "It's okay." He said softly, reassuringly. "I know what it's like to be on the other side."

Leo tried to make sense of his words. _The other side?_ _Is he saying that he used to be homeless?_ Leo figured that was the only possible explanation, at least one that related to him.

After watching the waiter quietly for a few minutes, he calmed down. He figured he could trust this man, for now, anyways. After all, the man hadn't done anything to prove otherwise… yet.

Still studying him, the blue-clad turtle turned his gaze towards the man's hands, locating the source of the sound that had woken him up.

It was a dish. But, like with any hungry customer, it was what was _on _the dish that interested Leo. Plump scrambled eggs; glistening sausage links; golden hash browns. And to the side he found a carton of orange juice.

Even before his moment, had he still been with his family down in the sewers, this would've looked like a buffet. Now, in his mind, it greatly resembled a feast for a king!

He was about to dig in when the memory of the man he'd encountered while looking for food yesterday flashed through his mind. His stomach was still sore from the punch and he suspected it was bruising nicely. The memory made Leo fearful that this man before him now might end up being just as cruel but smarter. Would he snatch the food away at the last moment? What if it was poisoned? The list went on and on…

Apparently sensing his discomfort, the waiter sat down and took a miniscule taste of each item before pushing it closer to Leo. "See?" he said calmly. "Nothing bad in here." Still smiling, he handed him a fork.

The gesture was comforting, to some extent, but Leo wasn't quick to gobble down the food just yet. Splinter had taught him and his brothers long ago to analyze every situation thoroughly before acting.

However, the sausages smelt _really_ good. And he was just as hungry.

Fork in hand; Leo picked the dish up, balancing it in between his two legs and using his blanket as a drop cloth. He ate slowly, savoring each bite. Wanting to save some of the food, he began wrapping some of the sausages for later tonight, in case he, once again, couldn't find any food, when the waiter interrupted him.

"Not the sausages." He said, bending over the plate. "If you're gonna save anything, save the eggs. You'll be looking for more food today, right? While you're gone, you can bet someone's gonna be attracted to the small of the meat or the hash browns. And if they aren't, some animals will." He began to help Leo wrap up the scrambled eggs. "You'll have to eat these within a few hours, though. Eggs don't really last too long."

Leo nodded to show he understood and went back to eating. When he'd finished off the last bite of hash brown, the waiter stood up. "Sorry I can't bring you more food later, kid. Today's my last day of work; restaurant's going under."

Blinking, Leo looked up at him. He hadn't even _thought_ of this man bringing him more food. That would've been nice, but since the idea hadn't occurred to him, it wasn't as disappointing that it wouldn't happen.

Though he was smiling again, the blond waiter looked sad. "Listen, I'm gonna give you one tip about surviving in this world." As he listened to the words, Leo knew he was speaking of the world Leo himself had willingly thrown himself into. "You do what you need to do to stay alive. Be as kind as you'd normally be, but don't take anyone's crap. 'Cause when push comes to shove, they aren't gonna take yours."

They just stared at each other for a long while before the man nodded his goodbye. He'd turned and gotten to the door that led back down into the restaurant when Leo finally had the sense to actually say something to him.

"Thanks." He said, his words carrying over to the waiter before he left. The man looked back, smiled. And then he was gone.

&&&&&

Why did he feel that something was wrong? Splinter scratched his chin softly, pondering the question. Ever since he'd went to bed last night, he'd had the intense feeling that there was something amiss in his household.

And he believed it had something to do with one of his eldest sons.

Usually, he found it best to leave his sons alone for a few days after bouts like this. Both tended to benefit from their time alone, coming out of their room when they felt better. And if they didn't, Splinter made sure to usher them out before the end of three days. Seclusion was constructive, but only for a short amount of time.

However, the old rat was starting to believe it was necessary to check on them as they got older and more willful. And for some reason, instinct was telling him it was especially necessary tonight.

It was only about five in the morning, so he figured all four of them would be asleep in bed. Quietly, he exited his own room to check on them, thus assuring himself that all was well.

His tail swishing against the floor silently, Master Splinter opened Raphael's door, making no sound whatsoever. Empty dishes littered the floor. Turning his gaze away from them, he immediately noticed his son's sleeping from resting peacefully in the hammock he'd come to enjoy. Raphael snored softly, one arm dangling off to one side.

Splinter smiled softly. Funny, they seemed so adorable when they were asleep.

Closing the door, he headed to Leonardo's room. Upon opening the door, he saw, like in Raphael's room, empty dishes in various places on the floor before turning his head towards the bed. His eldest son preferred a mattress. What he saw was nothing too suspicious: the blankets were gathered together, covering a sleeping form, no body parts showing.

At least, it _appeared_ to be a sleeping form.

Cautiously, Splinter took one step inside the room, planning to see if his son was really under those covers or not.

"Master Splinter?" A small voice sounded from behind him. Turning, he was met with a sleepy-eyed Michaelangelo. "What're you doin'?"

Splinter took one last glance at the bed before closing the door. "Nothing, my son. Now, what are _you_ doing up so late?"

"Can't sleep." Mikey said innocently. "Can I have a glass of milk?"

Sighing, the rat nodded, placing a hand on the orange-banded turtle's shell and leading him towards the kitchen. Often, his youngest son would wake up in the middle of the night, craving something to drink. Splinter allowed these nightly adventures simply because they got him to sleep.

He sat with Michaelangelo as the child drank his milk quietly, but somewhat happily. Saying goodnight to him as his son went to bed; Master Splinter debated whether or not he should attempt to check on Leonardo again.

He decided against it. More than likely, his eldest son was fine.

&&&&&

Snuggling back under the covers, Donny tried to get back to sleep. He'd heard Mikey get up in the other room and, for a moment, had been afraid his little brother was planning on bunking with him again tonight. Luckily, it had turned out to be Mike's random ritual of rising for a glass of milk.

What _wasn't_ routine about it though was when he heard Splinter. What was he doing by their bedrooms? It wasn't time to wake up; far from it actually. Maybe he was checking up on Leo and Raph. He hadn't seen them for a day, after all.

But he'd never really done that before either.

The whole matter of it made Donny nervous. But eventually, he forced himself to go to sleep.

&&&&&

Dawn came soon after the waiter left. Leo knew then that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. However, he wasn't in as much of a hurry as he had been yesterday. Then again, he hadn't eaten or had had the promise of food yesterday, either.

But, as the waiter had told him, the scrambled eggs could only last for so long. Though he felt like he should guard them like a treasure, and not just because they were gold, Leo knew he had to look for some more food. But he was reluctant to return to the streets he had searched the day before.

_Duh, you idiot. Why don't you just go to the other side of the street?_

Leo liked the idea, but didn't really like the risks it'd take. The other side of the street, housing a coffee shop, as well as other small assorted stores with goods, would be guaranteed to have _some_ edible pieces in their garbage. However, it was, in fact, a busy street. Cars and all. People.

It wasn't a comforting thought.

But he remembered what the waiter had told him before he left. He's told him to do what he needed to do to stay alive.

Leo snorted softly. Then again, the guy never had to worry about being discovered as a giant turtle.

Sighing, he looked across the street once more before putting his head into his hands. The man had been right about one thing. Leo _did_ need to take risks. And what did he have to worry about? He knew how to defend himself, and though he wasn't sure if a jerk like the guy last night would take a ten-year-old with two swords seriously, he figured they would eventually. Once they saw what he could do, he was positive they would.

As long as he had the courage to do so.

Taking one big gulp of air, Leo climbed down from the roof of the restaurant and, once he'd made sure his disguise was covering him well enough, started across the street.

Since it was early, not as many people as he would've thought were awake, but there were enough to make him nervous. He got a few stares of offense, but not because they were repelled by the sight of a turtle walking around them.

His clothes were tattered. He smelled. He was a sore thumb amongst a hand of well-manicured fingers.

And he was closer to them than they would prefer.

While Leo would've been happy at that moment to grant their wish and move away from them, he suddenly decided not to. _He _was the one suffering right now, not them. And he even wouldn't be for long. But there were a lot more who wouldn't.

If they couldn't feel pity for one who was but a child, then Leo knew they must be heartless. No, that was wrong. They had a heart, but it served them and what they loved alone.

Somewhat reassuringly, he _did_ see some people who turned their heads toward him in pity rather than disgust. It was good to know that some people weren't so stuck-up.

But they never stopped to say anything or help.

While the people in the city of New York were obviously sleeping, it seemed that its demons liked to work around the clock.

&&&&&

When Raph awoke, it was not to a bad dream, nor to an uninvited sound. It couldn't have been to a sudden ray of light, for the sun couldn't be seen in the sewers and the light in his room was still off.

If you were to ask someone, they couldn't tell you that this was how Raphael usually awoke, trusting that he was left to wake on his own and a certain little brother was in another room.

He honestly hated it. The feeling that nothing important was happening around you, yet accompanied by the energy that spilled through the air that told you there was and it was worth waking for. It made him feel that he was missing out on something, be it halfway across the planet or only a mile or two away.

Sitting up and looking at his toys, he growled in realization that some of them were missing. Getting out of his hammock, he went around his room looking for them, finding his racecar had rolled under his desk along with a few crayons. Upon further searching, he located a few action figures jammed in odd places.

He was about to look for some of his other toys, including another action figure, a yo-yo, and a cheap McDonald's toy when he heard a knock on the door.

Time for breakfast. Looking at his alarm clock, he found it to be near noon instead of eight in the morning. He'd slept in. Sure enough, there was his breakfast by the door.

Fine. Lunch then.

&&&&&

Breakfast went by better than it had the day before, much to Mikey's happiness. Afterwards, he and Donny played a game of hide-and-seek, which was much more fun when ninja stealth was used.

Nevertheless, it worked better with those who were better at it. Donatello won.

Whether it was to make him feel better or just because he was bored, his purple-clad _did_ agree to a game of goldfish later; a game Mike was better at and soon won.

But things did manage to get boring rather quickly. Eventually, the two were sitting on the couch with as much energy as the normal turtles they'd mutated from.

"Donny?"

Don never took his eyes off the hole in the wall he was studying. "Yeah?"

"Why do you like vanilla ice cream better than chocolate?"

"Um," Donny turned to him for a second before turning back to the wall. "I don't know. I guess the chocolate is just too sweet."

"Oh." Mikey got a devilish look in his eyes. "Why?"

"Well, sometimes really sweet things give me a stomachache."

"Why?"

Now realizing what was about to ensue, Don groaned and turned to glare at Mikey. "Maybe it's 'cause I ingested too many artificially saccharine fatty food products."

"Why- wait, what was that?"

Luckily for the both of them, Splinter entered the room before they could continue. "My sons, lunch is ready."

Mikey leapt off the couch. "Yes! Finally!"

Splinter shook his head, smiling at his antics. Then he gestured to two plates sitting on the table. "But before you eat, I would like you to take these to your brother's rooms."

The two nodded and headed off, Donny being convinced to take Raph's since Mikey was afraid, if their brother came out of his room, that he'd get pummeled for taking his yo-yo.

&&&&&

Dumpster diving here proved to be much more beneficial. Leo had found several donuts and a few miniature sandwiches. Keeping them all in a little plastic bag, he was about to call it a day when he heard a crash.

Now out of the dumpster, he moved towards the sound, unknowingly clutching the bag of food closer to his chest. The resonance of heavy punches and someone groaning; gasping for breath filled his ears.

When he'd reached the place he'd been searching for, he wasn't so surprised to see what was in front of him. Actually, he'd almost been expecting it. A mugging. They happened all the time, especially in a city like this.

Before he knew what he was doing, he came closer to the mugger and the victim. "Stop-" Leo had planned to say a lot more, he really had, but then he saw who they were.

The man from last night. One of the stuck-up women he'd seen while crossing the street.

The homeless man sure didn't seem intimidated by his presence. In fact, he smiled and came closer. Leo even thought the woman looked a little amused.

Looking at him, the man brought his head down to eye level. "I know you." He looked dangerous, not to mention stoned. Not a guy you'd want to mess with. "I know you. You're the little bastard that stole my candy bar last night."

As he took another step closer, Leo backed away. The woman tried to take the opportunity to flee, but her assaulter just stuck one arm out, pushed her down and kept his eyes on the child in front of him.

Leo felt the need to say something, to make up for what he didn't do the last time he'd encountered this guy. He tried to make his voice stronger. "Yeah, that's me." It faltered, but didn't come out too bad.

Smiling sickly, the man used his other arm to brush the bag of food casually with his fingers. "What's in here?"

"Some donuts. Food."

He laughed, a scary rumble from deep in his throat, soft and venomous. It was squashed as quick as it came. "This is my territory. You do know that's mine then, right?"

Leo said nothing. What, did this man own all of the garbage on the streets of New York now? He suddenly wondered if that was possible.

The woman whimpered and the man looked at her. "I had some… _nasty_ plans for her. But I'll make you a deal. You keep your food, leave, and I'll let _both_ of you live, but I get to do what I want to her before I let her go." He wouldn't let Leo interrupt. "And every second you waste in going means I get to do something nastier."

Turning towards her, Leo looked at the woman, remembering how she had looked at him earlier. She was a low excuse for a human being, but this guy made scum look good. _She doesn't deserve this. I can help her._

The man took out his knife, bent down and rubbed it against her calf before placing it an inch from Leo's face. "Clock's tickin', boy."

Leo wanted to get out his swords, but remembered that they were under his coat. Couldn't take the coat off without revealing what he was. Couldn't risk being seen.

So he walked away. He heard the man whisper 'smart boy' before rounding the corner. From there, he ran all the way to the building where he was staying, nearly getting run over in the process.

Out of breath, he laid on his shell, safe on the roof. He looked at his bag of food and realized that while running, half of its contents had been loss.

But it didn't matter. Leo knew he could've helped. While he tried to convince himself that it had worked out better for him _and_ the woman, he knew it was a lie. What it all came down to was that he was afraid. And it didn't make sense.

Leo wasn't afraid of much, and he certainly wasn't afraid to fight. His bouts with Raph were proof enough of that. He'd fight his brother, but not a guy who really deserved it.

But maybe it wasn't because he was afraid. Maybe he wanted her to get hurt…

Groaning, the turtle rolled over on his side. These three days were supposed to prove what Leo really was on the inside, and they had.

He felt like a coward.

With no desire to enjoy the food that had made its way back here until his stomach protested later that night, Leo didn't leave the building for the rest of the day.

&&&&&

Hmm… did I do okay on this last part? I liked the beginning, but I feel I messed up the end of this chapter.

Well, that done, I can finally move on to Suicide II! Look for it sometime this week!

Please review!


	4. Day 3

Man, I've just been in an update frenzylately!

So... without further adieu, I'd like to add another chapter. Here it is! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: In a storybook world, I would own the TMNT. Unfortunately, we don't... and I still don't own them. (sighs) Reality bites.

&&&&&

Day 3 

There was a cobweb in the right corner of his room. The shadows provided cover for the spider that'd created its intricate design, fabricated with the thread from its butt.

Raph only noticed the insect because he'd run out of ways to entertain himself and had thus resorted to gazing at the ceiling. He thought about throwing something at it, from a considerable distance, of course, and therefore killing it.

He _hated_ bugs.

But Raph decided to let it be, at least for now. However, this was only providing if the spider stayed in its little corner and far away from the turtle in red. Raph was a lot nicer than most people thought him to be, but he had his limits.

For example, he still had absolutely no intentions of leaving this room until Splinter forced him to. That would be sometime today, day three.

Half the time, when Splinter made him and Leo come out of their rooms, he'd also make them apologize. Raph didn't want to do that either. Not just because of his pride, but because he still wasn't sure what he and Leo had been arguing about; what had got them into those fistfights.

Maybe he wasn't in the blame. Why should he apologize for something he hadn't done?

Raph smiled, remembering a snippet of some lawyer show he'd seen once. A man had shouted in it, _"I'm innocent, I tell you!"_

Sighing, the ten-year-old rolled over carefully in his hammock and looked at the time. A little past nine in the morning. Time moved slow, sometimes.

Giving into his own conscience, Raph decided that he might apologize. After all, if he was willing to cut the spider some slack, he could give Leo a break. He had to admit, he preferred his brother over a nasty bug any day.

But, like with the spider staying in his own little corner, Leo would have to hold up his own part of the unspoken bargain. If his brother was sorry, Raph would apologize.

&&&&&

His thumb lingered next to his mouth, not touching it, but close enough that he could feel its presence. Leo opened his eyes slowly, finding his hand where it had fallen when he'd turned over on his side in the middle of the night. Like the days before when he'd awakened, the world around him was cold.

Frowning, Leo slipped his head under the blanket. His second day on his own had been marred by his failure to protect that woman. He didn't feel like getting up at all.

He lay under the blanket for another thirty minutes before sighing, debating between his own feelings and his current needs. With a sigh, Leo finally sat up, the blanket falling down past his chest as he did so.

For a moment, he was blinded by chilled sunshine. When he was able to look at the sky again, Leo checked out the sun's position. From it, and the business of the street below, he guessed it to be around ten in the morning.

He hadn't really slept that long though. He'd only fallen asleep around five this morning.

His stomach rumbled. Not wanting to eat anything, but craving it nonetheless, Leo suddenly remembered the eggs.

Quickly, he delved into his few meager belongings, locating the golden treasure still wrapped in its napkin. The waiter from the day before said he should eat them in a few hours.

It'd been at least twenty-four.

Cursing himself, Leo lay the eggs back down. _Stupid. You waited too long. Now they won't be any good._

Looking at them longingly, Leo felt tempted to eat the eggs anyway. They still looked good...

But he remembered that rotten sandwich he'd eaten on his first day. It'd made his stomach sick.

Eventually, he turned back to the donuts he'd gotten yesterday. Only about five of them had survived his mad dash back to this place, and he'd eaten two for 'dinner'.

There were still enough to get him by. Taking one half-eaten and covered in powdered sugar, the blue-clad turtle had his breakfast. It was stale, but quite edible and tasty.

Inevitably, his thoughts turned back to the day before. Leo couldn't shake off his guilt of that mistake, as well as the one he'd made for leaving his family.

He wondered if they knew he was gone. Probably not. If they did, Splinter would have been out looking for him now. And his Sensei had a talent for knowing where to find his sons, a trait Leo was picking up on.

Well, he'd pulled off a decent escape, then. At least he could do something right, albeit a dishonorable thing.

_So,_ a little voice started in his head, _what did you learn from this?_

Leo sniffed and spoke to himself. "That I'm a little sneak, and a cowardly one, at that."

_Anything else?_

He stopped to think about it, remembering the snobs. "That half the people in this city are pure evil."

_C'mon. Wasn't their anything good that came out of this? _He asked himself, begging for a decent memory to appear.

And it did.

Leo quickly recalled the blond waiter who'd brought him a feast.

So there was another thing. He smiled slightly. "And that you should eat eggs before they go bad."

But that wasn't the real lesson.

That waiter had been the only good thing about this, besides that beautiful image of the moon he'd seen while first coming out here that had lulled him to sleep.

Strangers had taught him much in this time. From some he'd learned horrific cruelty. But from the waiter, Leo had learned that within some people resided a kindness, a light in utter darkness.

He felt a little better.

&&&&&

Singing as loud as he could to the theme song of Inspector Gadget, Mikey knew he was off-key. He rather enjoyed tormenting his brothers with his singing.

Unfortunately, two still had yet to make an appearance.

But Michelangelo did not let that deter him. He just raised his voice a little higher, in hopes that the sound would reach their ears.

Donny came into the room, hands over his ears. "Mikey!" he yelled. "Some people are trying to sleep!"

Satisfied with the response, but confused by his brother's words, Mikey blinked. "But it's almost lunchtime. No one's sleeping now."

"I'm talking about the people over in China!"

The song ended. "Aw, man." Mikey moaned. "You made me miss the rest of it!"

His brother smiled in relief. "Good. I couldn't he**ar** myself think."

Already switching the channels on the television, Mikey stopped on the Sesame Street theme song.

His grin came back. "Oh, _dear_ brother, I can fix that for you."

&&&&&

Splinter was debating on whether or not he should risk roaming the streets above in search of a pair of earplugs.

While he wanted his sons to have as joyful of a childhood as possible, hearing a children's show's theme song sung in punk rock form was getting rather hard to take.

Raphael and Leonardo still hadn't come out of their rooms, probably using the bathroom when he wasn't looking. Splinter hadn't been expecting them to return before the three days was up, but he nevertheless hoped for it.

Every time, he hoped for it.

If the day ever came, it would be a sign of the growing maturity in his sons. The process was slow, but from what Splinter had learned from sightings of the world above him, it was the traditional method of the youth of today.

The old rat glanced at the clock as he prepared some herbal tea in the kitchen. The time read 11:48.

He'd give them another six hours.

Then he wanted an explanation.

&&&&&

After deciding he'd probably be better off staying up on the roof, Leo allowed his thoughts to consume him.

There really was no need for him to go out looking for food today, since he'd be going home soon. He could easily survive the rest of the day on his donuts.

Though he'd had his mind set on using his remaining time for reflection, Leo found himself reminiscing. And surprisingly enough, he wasn't thinking about these three days spent as a gamin.

No. He thought about home. He thought about Splinter and Mikey, and Donny and Raph. God, how he missed them.

Leo honestly couldn't wait to see his family again... and yet he was afraid to.

For when he returned, Leo knew he'd be coming home changed, in some aspects. But none of them would have. That, in itself, was wonderful.

So why do I think they will?

Wouldn't Donny still be as curious as ever? When he saw him tonight, wouldn't he be tinkering with some gadget, like always? Wouldn't Mikey still have that same life radiating from him? Wouldn't he still be that annoying little brother who'd wake him up by jumping on his bed, and him, while screaming at the top of his lungs? And wouldn't Raph still be a hothead? Wouldn't he still be that tough-guy who refused to admit that deep down, he was just a big softie?

Leo didn't just hope they would. He prayed.

&&&&&

Things were _so_ boring. While Leo and Raph's constant fights were rather exasperating, Donny had to admit that they were better than watching Mikey attempt to dance like Elvis.

Amusing as it was, his little brother couldn't pull it off all too well.

The purple-clad turtle was half-tempted to go into his brothers' rooms and talk them in to coming out.

He would have, too, but he didn't see the point. Master Splinter would be forcing them out in just a few hours, after all.

Back in the den, he saw something new on the television channel Mikey had flipped to. After studying it for a few moments, he groaned, realizing what it was.

Michelangelo had officially discovered MTV.

Sighing, Donatello quickly left the room. _Might as well just go ahead and kiss any sanity I have goodbye._

The only joy Donny could take from this was knowing that sooner, rather than later, Mikey's imitations and singing would get on Raph's nerves and he would be pummeled.

While he usually preferred to abstain from a whole lot of violence, Don did think that some forms of retribution were _very_ necessary.

&&&&&

Leo suddenly remembered why he and Raph had been fighting.

He'd been gathering his things, planning on heading home earlier so as to avoid being caught, when he recalled it.

Placing his little possessions gently back on the ground, Leo cocked his head and started off into space.

"That's it?" he asked himself in disbelief.

He could've sworn it'd have been over something more serious. _Man, are we stupid._

Still astounded by this discovery, Leo began to make his descent down the fire escape connected to the building. Before he left, he made sure to where the coat and hat he'd found on his first day. He could shred them when he was back in the sewers.

Down on the ground, he decided to avoid the docks this time. It was only nearing four in the afternoon, so Leo figured it was safe to bet that it was still pretty busy down there.

Remembering that there was a manhole cover down somewhere to his right, Leo headed into the alley.

He hadn't gone far when he heard the familiar sounds of a mugging.

When he looked to his left, towards another alley, as well as the direction of the sound, Leo immediately recognized the attacker. His feelings of cowardice from the night before quickly returned to haunt him.

Why can't I escape from this jerk?

Feet rooted to the ground, Leo finally noticed who the victim was when the man moved aside for a different angle of attack. The realization shocked him.

It was only a child. Younger than he even was! From the looks of it, the kid was only four, no older than five. He was on the ground, getting kicked in the stomach by the man he'd seen yesterday and the day before.

In the little boy's hands, Leo saw the remnants of a chocolate bar.

Before he even knew he was speaking, the words escaped his mouth, said in anger and disgust. "What the _heck_ do you think you're doing?"

The man turned around to see who'd spoken, no trace of surprise or fear showing on his face.

"Ah. Hello, you little bastard." He said cheerfully, as if the word had become Leo's name and they were old friends. "Did ya enjoy the donuts?"

Leo didn't answer his question, just used his arm to gesture to the boy. "What's _wrong_ with you? He's only a little kid!"

Frowning, the man's look was menacing. "He stole my food."

Still on the ground, the little boy whimpered.

Leo hands clenched. "You aren't the only one who's trying to survive out here, you know. What's he supposed to eat, huh?"

"Dirt, for all I care."

Before Leo could say another word, the man looked at him bitterly. "Look, you little bastard. You're lucky I've let you get past me these couple of days. Mess with my business one more time, and I swear I'll slice you up to ribbons and let _him_ eat ya."

The threat rocked Leo, made his stomach turn violently, but he was far too angry now. His next words were said with as much venom as the man's had been. "Maybe I'll do the same to you..."

The man laughed. "What the hell do you think you can do to me? Cry me to death?"

Enough was enough.

Leo took off his coat, and then his hat. Slowly, he drew his katanas, which had remained sheathed this whole time. As they slid out into open, the sound they made was like that of a child's glee for swords.

The little boy was looking at him. He was smiling. "Whoa..."

Now, the man's demeanor changed, though he too drew his weapon. His face was different than the boy's. "Just what the hell are you?"

Instead of letting Leo answer, the man threw his knife at him. Just in time, Leo deflected it with his sword. He flipped over and in front of the man and held one katana to his throat and the other to his stomach.

"Jesus!" The man shouted.

Leo had no intentions of killing him, but he grinned. "I could kill you right now."

It was nice to see fear in this jerk's eyes instead of the man's victims. _I should have done this when I first met him._

"Don't..." his voice had changed; "Please, kid. Don't kill me."

He let him suffer for a little bit. "All right." He finally said, but still held his swords in place. Glancing to the side, he saw on of the man's carts of food. He looked back at him. "I want you to let the boy over there have his candy bar. And give him some donuts and sandwiches; I know you have them."

"All right! I'll do it!"

Leo slid one sword away from his neck. "Do it now."

He followed the man as he went over to the cart, making sure he didn't have any more knives.

The man gave the little boy, who was now standing up, the food. Leo looked at him. "You better go now."

"'Kay." The child said as he started off. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." Leo said back.

Then he turned back to the man, drawing his other katana away. "Don't you _ever_ do something like this to anyone again, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Because if you do, I'll see you. And this will happen all over again. I'll always be watching you from now on." Leo lied, knowing full well that he'd be in the sewers.

"...Okay."

Pushing him in the corner, Leo disappeared while the man was temporarily blinded in the darkened section of the alley.

Smiling, he quickly made his way to the nearest manhole cover, slipping beneath it before the man even knew where he'd gone.

Now he knew that although things in this world were scary, when push came to shove, he was brave.

&&&&&

That took a little while to get up. Sorry about that.

But hey! After the next chapter, which I will try to get up before the end of the month, we can move on to the second part of the story! Yay!

Now, is anyone gonna review this? I've been noticing that a lot of people here on FanFic have been disappearing. Heck, the last chapter of Suicide II has only gotten seven reviews; and it's been a whole week since I updated!

Anyways, if you didn't already get the picture, I'd _really_ appreciate it if you dropped in a review. (puppy dog eyes) _Please?_


	5. Home

(laughing nervously) Did I say the end of January? I meant early February! (sighs) Yeah… you ain't buying it, are you?

I'm sorry it took this long to get this part up. I totally spaced it! I mean, with Dead of Night, Suicide II, a new one-shot I've been trying to piece together, a new story that wants to make its way into print, _plus_ this… you get the picture.

I'm _really_ not good at multitasking. Heck, I ain't good at single-tasking! The only thing that gets these stories done is you, my readers and reviewers. That and the fact that I keep daydreaming about our beloved TMNT.

So, let's get this party started! I hope you'll like it!

Disclaimer: Muses, muses; where art thou, muses? I know. Working for the creators of the wonderful TMNT cartoon show… which I do not own.

&&&&&

Zero hour. Splinter raised his body off of his chair; stiff joints cracking softly as he did so, and made his ways to his sons' rooms.

By mere inches, Raphael's room was closer to the den then Leonardo's; therefore, he went to the red-clad turtle's door first. Gently knocking, Splinter waited five seconds before entering Raph's room. It wasn't like he had been expecting permission to come in, after all. Nor did he need it.

Inside, Splinter pushed the cluttered dishes at the door smoothly aside with his tail, not even sparing them a glance. Instead, he looked up, meeting the eyes of his ten-year-old son.

Raph was sitting up in his hammock, facing Splinter, both legs dangling over the side of his chosen berth. His arms were folded over his chest in determination.

Splinter knew this to mean that he was still angry, not that he refused to come out of his room. While this was normal for Raphael, it still saddened the rat.

Any good father wants their children to be happy. Yet it could be hard at times, especially when the thing that made the child unhappy was their brother, an equally beloved son.

"Raphael," Splinter started, "Are you ready to come out of your room now?"

The young turtle wrinkled his brow. "If I am, are ya gonna make me apologize to Leo?"

Despite what it may seem to appear to his brothers at times when they were playing, Raph was not dumb. None of the four were. They understood what was expected of them in situations like these.

Nodding, Splinter opened the door a little wider. "Yes, my son." Before Raph could refute, he added, "Leonardo will be apologizing to you, as well. And then _both_ of you will explain yourselves to myself and your brothers."

Raph seemed to think about this. Finally he nodded. "Okay." Leaping down to the floor, Raph walked over to Splinter.

Together, they exited the room and headed over to Leo's. Half-expecting something to be wrong after all, Splinter rapped on his eldest son's door, waiting five seconds as he had with Raph.

But unlike Raph, there was an answer. Leo's voice spoke softly. "Come in…"

Opening the door, Splinter noticed that the dishes had been stacked up to the side of the room; Leonardo was placing the final plate on top of the pile.

Immediately, Splinter got a different feeling off of Leo than he had three days ago. He seemed… happier, content with himself. There was still a trace of anger in his expression, but not at his brother. And Splinter felt that underneath these emotions was a sense of guilt. Of what, he was unsure…

Besides this, Leo also appeared to be more worn. He looked like he'd aged, not physically, but spiritually. Such a conception was hard to picture tangibly, but was seen all the time.

It was not unusual with this son. Leonardo had always seemed somewhat more mature than his brothers. So why was it so odd now?

Suddenly, Splinter became aware of the fact that Leo was studying him just as intently as he had been examining _him_. He felt as if Leo was reading him, a trait none of the four had showed before. They knew how each other felt well enough, but they had yet to do so with such intensity.

Until now.

Such an ability was necessary to a ninja. It helped determine friend from foe. It was also useful to a family member, helping to see what a loved one was truly feeling. Yet it seemed so strange to appear in someone so young.

_I shall have to watch for this… intensity._

Pushing his thoughts aside for the moment, he moved further into the room so Raph could be seen. "Are you prepared to apologize to your brother, Leonardo?"

Standing, Leo bowed slightly. "Yes, Sensei."

_Yes. He _has_ matured… _When Leonardo was truly angry, he wouldn't usually let go of his ire so easily. He would calm down a little, but that was all. Though without dispute, only reluctantly would he give in.

Still, this was not the time to question such things. "Then do so."

&&&&&

Raph had to fight what his jaw was inclined to do, keeping his mouth closed instead of hanging so far open that it could pass as the cave of a dragon.

Leo wasn't as bad as holding as grudge as Raph was, but he still seemed to be giving into this way too easily.

For a moment, Raph wondered if his brother was being extra polite to earn points with Splinter, but, as he watched the conversation progress, he eventually dismissed the idea. Leo had been looking at Splinter so strangely there for a moment, so detached; that wasn't something you did when you were trying to skate by from a parent's wrath.

Yet the moment passed. Leo looked more cheerful once again, as he had when they had walked in the room. That happiness was also kinda weird, but Raph knew that even his levelheaded brother could experience joy. He did and had before.

Just not as much anymore.

And then Leo agreed to apologize. No pause; he was willing. Now Raph was _really_ confused. While he followed Splinter's instructions almost like they were written in stone, he didn't know Leo to give in _that _quickly.

But he looked so much happier than usual… Raph let it slide.

Walking over to him, Leo looked a little embarrassed for a moment. "Raph… I'm sorry about fighting you. It was over something so _stupid_, after all. Not something worth beating up each other over, anyways." The discomfort faded from his face. All solemnity now. "Besides, you're my brother. Even if you get on my nerves a lot sometimes, I shouldn't fight you like I would…" he trailed off in thought; "like someone who _truly_ deserves it."

Silence passed for several seconds. This apology was unlike anything Raph had ever heard before. Heck, from the look on his face, Splinter hadn't been expecting it either. You could tell that those words had come from deep within Leo, deeper than the blue-clad turtle had ever dared to show.

Raph wondered what would make him say them now. Even if he had spent every second of his time in his room thinking about this, he couldn't see Leo feeling _that_ much remorse over this. He seemed to be apologizing for something more…

Leo suddenly got a smirk on his face, one that couldn't stop from turning into a grin. "Of course, that doesn't entirely mean that it _won't_ happen again."

_That_ was more like Leo. Raph put on a grin equal to his brother's. "Yeah, I kinda figured that. I mean, if you don't start the fights, I probably will."

Splinter sighed, then muttered, "Kids…"

Remembering that he too had an apology to make, Raph put his hands behind his back. Even though he'd told himself that he'd say sorry if Leo was willing too as well, Raph felt better about doing it now. "I'm sorry too, bro." He said. "You're my brother, not my enemy. I guess I shouldn't act like yours, huh?"

Leo nodded, grinning. Raph could see he knew what was coming, so he said it. "But that don't mean I ain't gonna act like it from time to time."

Splinter shook his head, muttering again. "I pray not…" Then he raised his voice to a normal tone. "Now that that is settled, I believe you have some explaining to do."

"Okay." Leo said. "Can I please just put these dishes away first, Sensei?"

"You may, Leonardo." Splinter shot Raph a look. "And I expect _yours_ before bed tonight."

Raph nodded sheepishly. As Splinter left, he couldn't help but stick around. He watched as his brother went back over to the stack of dishes, carefully lifting them, holding them against his plastron. "Hey, Leo?"

Waiting until he was closer to the door, Leo responded. "What?"

"What _were_ we fighting over. I can't really remember."

Leo turned a little to look him. Raph noticed he was embarrassed again. "You don't wanna know."

"Yeah I do."

"Raph, I just remembered myself a little bit ago. It was _really _stupid."

Frowning, Raph moved out into the hallway before turning back to face Leo. "So? What was it?"

After a few seconds, he heard a sigh. Then Leo mumbled something, but Raph couldn't quite hear it. "What?"

This time, Leo said it loud enough. "Over what's stupider; the Power Rangers or the Butt Ugly Martians."

Raph shrugged. "That's easy, the Power Rangers." Only after he said that did he realize what that meant. _Jeez, that _was_ stupid._

Nodding at Raph's comment. "I know. I said the Butt Ugly Martians. But let's not get into this again."

Still shocked that it had been something as lame as that, Raph quickly agreed. "Sounds good to me. Wait, are we gonna have to tell this to Mike, Don, and Splinter?" He asked, fearing the reaction they'd receive. "Can't we just say it was over somethin' like… us tryin' to be better than one another?"

Carefully making his way into the hallway, Leo concurred. "Normally, I wouldn't want to lie to them, but in this case, I think it might be wise."

They were silent on their way to the kitchen. Placing the plates in the sink, Leo turned, him and Raph about to go and tell their family their 'reasons' for beating each other up. But as they faced away from the sink, they saw dinner there on the table.

Splinter must've managed to find some edible meat, for they were having turkey sandwiches with mayonnaise. It smelled delicious.

Normally, Raph would've put this into the back of his mind for now, anxiously waiting for dinner. But the look on Leo's face made him change his mind.

He didn't see anything all that extra special about this meal, but Leo was staring at, eyes nearly as wide as platters. The blue-clad turtle swallowed; bit his lip.

"What?" Raph asked.

Leo snapped out of it. "Nothing." He said quickly.

But his stomach had a different answer. It growled, sounding as if he hadn't eaten in days.

Raph laughed. "Ah… so the great Leonardo wasn't gonna wait, huh? What, were ya plannin' on sneakin' a bite?" He asked, playfully slapping his brother's stomach.

But Leo winced.

Fun forgotten, Raph cocked his head. "Hey, you okay?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah, just fell out of my bed last night and landed on a book. Kinda hurts."

A little suspicious, Raph kept his eyes on him. He hadn't heard any noise from Leo's room last night…

Then again, Raph tended to sleep like a rock.

Without evidence to go against his brother's testimonies, Raph let this too slide. Done in the kitchen, he and Leo went out to the den, ready to tell their brothers and Sensei what had 'truly' happened.

Aware of the two's clashing personalities, they bought it.

&&&&&

Occasionally, Leo would turn his head to watch Mikey and Donny playing in the living room. He and Raph had to clean up the _entire_ kitchen first, as a punishment, before they could join their brothers.

From what Leo had understood, his two youngest brothers had been rather bored in their absence. But they didn't seem to mind waiting. In fact, they seemed overjoyed just seeing him and Raph again.

Back on the streets, he'd certainly missed them, as well as Raph and Master Splinter. It was nice to be loved.

Turning his attention back to the kitchen, Leo climbed up on a counter to dust off the top of the refrigerator. He was doing basically every job that could be done in this part of the lair, leaving Raph with the dishes.

While that might have appeared to be an unfair tradeoff, Raph truly had his work cut out for him, washing three-day's worth of dishes for Leo _and_ himself, not to mention the plates from dinner.

Never had turkey sandwiches tasted so good. Leo had surprised his whole family at mealtime, going back for seconds, and thirds. Usually, Master Splinter barely had enough food to quench Michelangelo's appetite. Luckily though, this time he'd been able to find a fairly large turkey; there were even still a few leftovers.

The outside of the refrigerator spotless, Leo proceeded to get down, preparing to clean out the inside. This was the kind of job that got rather sticky. The young turtle started to look for a rag, wetting it down when he found one.

As he did so, his eyes lingered back over to his playing brothers. He didn't do this over and over again in the natural way a child lingers, seeing someone having fun while he's busy. No, he was perfectly fine with this. Leo considered this punishment also for something else Splinter didn't even know he'd done.

Leo watched them carefully because he was curious, not to mention a little anxious.

Upon leaving, he'd forgotten all about meals being _delivered_ to their rooms. A while back, Splinter had stopped slipping them under the doors, instead having Mikey and Don take them.

One, if not _both_ of these brothers, knew he'd been gone.

At first, Leo tried to think of another explanation; like maybe they took them to his room and, if they didn't fall for the pillows-under-the-blankets ruse, believed he was in the bathroom.

So why were the plates empty when he got home?

That's how they were, after all. They'd been eaten out of; a few bits left-over that would be hard to get or remaining as if the eater had been full. Of course, hungry as he was, Leo had eaten those upon arriving.

But now his guilt had found a new layer. Someone had covered for him. One of his little brothers had known he was gone and had done their best to make sure no one had found out.

He felt grateful to that brother. Leo was tempted to run up them and ask who it was, thank them and say he was sorry for leaving.

However, that wouldn't work too well if the first brother he asked hadn't been the one to do the deed. While he _deserved_ to be found out, it wasn't something he looked forward to.

Like any child, he feared the punishment he'd _really_ receive if he were. Leo knew that most of the time his brothers thought that he got special treatment, or something. But that wasn't true. Splinter _did_ treat him the same way as he did the rest of his sons, the same way a good father would treat any of his children. Equally, as it seems fit.

Good behavior was rewarded; bad behavior was penalized, to the degrees of the wrong deed's nature.

The reason why it seemed like Leo always got off easier. But in truth, his mistakes were made to a lesser degree; he was careful in nearly all aspects.

But _this_ was a _big_ mess-up. Bigger than anything Raph or Mikey _combined_ had ever done. Leo's punishment would outrank them from one to five if he were found out.

Sighing, he turned back to his kitchen duties, worrying about Splinter discovering where he'd truly been these past few days; feeling guilty for leaving his family; upset over the stupid things he hand Raph had fought about over the years. Especially now that he'd had a taste of what kind of _real_ threats were out there in the world.

Yes, it was good to be back.

&&&&&

Leo and Raph finally finished their job; it was about a quarter to nine when they were done. There was still a little bit of time to play, but Leo wasn't as in to the games they played as he would have normally been.

Donny watched his eldest brother a good chunk of the time, when he wasn't busy secretly plotting revenge against Mikey for his singing, along with Raph's help. When they played tag, before Splinter caught them and reprimanded them, he noticed how tired Leo was, like he'd been doing a _whole_ lot more work than cleaning the kitchen.

At one point, Mikey had tripped while trying to tag him, thus accidentally pile-driving into Leo's stomach.

The action had hurt their brother more than it should've.

But then, before he and Mikey could return with a board game, while Raph, not wanting to play Candyland, was looking for another game, they returned to find Leo sleeping on the couch.

Sometimes, Don knew from experience that a full stomach could make you sleepy, but this was a little odd.

Splinter had taken Leo back to his room, putting him to bed. Don couldn't help but notice how filthy and cut Leo's feet were. He wondered just what his brother had been doing these past three days…

When Splinter returned, he told his remaining awake children that it was time for bed. Ten o'clock was their normal bedtime, after all.

In bed for only ten minutes now, Donny had been thinking about the oddities of tonight when his door opened. And there, rather expectedly, stood his younger brother in the doorway.

Mikey made his way to Don's bedside, the older turtle sitting up in his bed as he did so. It was getting pretty ridiculous; Mikey wanting to bunk with one of his brother's so often. He was ten years old now!

"Not tonight, Mikey. You gave me shell pains last time and-"

"Don't worry, bro." Mike grinned. "I just wanted to say you were right."

Don blinked. "About what?" There were a lot of things he told Mike that turned out to be right.

"Remember? You told me that Raph and Leo don't hate each other. You were right. I mean, did you see how nice they were tonight? They didn't fight at all."

Nodding, Don too grinned. "Yeah, it was kinda nice, huh?"

They remained in silence for another few seconds. Then Mikey turned. "Night, bro."

"Night."

When Mike shut the door, Don laid back in his bed. His thoughts turned away from his suspicions then. Like his little brother, he liked the brighter sides of things much more.

&&&&&

After leaving Don's room, Mike went to Raph's, telling him goodnight after talking to him for a little bit. For once, the red-clad turtle's temper didn't interrupt their nice conversation.

When he was done there, Mike tiptoed to Leo's room, opening the door just a crack. Leo didn't wake, but Mikey wanted to be careful.

He was _so_ happy that Leo was back, him and Raph. Things were much more fun with them around, especially when they weren't fighting.

Done with making sure his brother was still in his bed, Mikey whispered through the door; "It's nice to have you back, Leo. G' night."

Closing the door, he went back into his room. He didn't even need to turn on the nightlight, which hadn't always been used to chase the darkness away. Up 'til now, it had been a reminder of his brothers' love.

But that seemed to fill the air around him tonight.

&&&&&

End- Part 1 of the story! Yay! Too bad that happy feeling doesn't last forever. But if it did, I wouldn't have a Part 2!

When I kick this up again, and I have no idea how long that will be, the turtles will now be twelve years old.

So, did you like? Please leave me a review! Oh, and have a pleasant day!


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